


Encounter

by invisible_nerd_girl



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 13:13:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8981173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/invisible_nerd_girl/pseuds/invisible_nerd_girl
Summary: Hiccup is a merperson, and his father sends him to a harbor to heal from a tail wound. But a wave throws him into a lake, with his friend Toothless, a shark.





	1. Wave

Hiccup swam one way, then the other. He could feel Toothless watching him with one eye as he did his toothless things. Hiccup groaned in boredom and let himself sink to the bottom of the harbor. His father had told him that the humans were bad and to be killed once they hit the water and a merperson should do so whenever they can without being seen. He wasn’t buying it. He cocked his head to the side and watched his shark swim around him in lazy circles. Toothless was good company because he didn’t judge, often, but he didn’t really talk so the conversations were a little one sided. 

“I don’t know why I fight with my father so much, Toothless, but I can’t seem to make him see that even though I injured my tail, I don’t need to be babied” Hiccup complained. He turned with a frown when the shark slapped him with his tail. 

“I am FINE!” Hiccup grumbled to himself. The water rippled around him but he flicked his tale so he rose a little. After a few seconds he shot straight up, thinking about getting out of the water again. To be in the air for a single second was something of his dreams, and breaching the water made it happen. He just never did it were people could see him. The very thought made him jerk back at the last second. He wasn’t fast enough and ended up barely brushing the surface of the water, sending little ripples out of it. 

“That’s not right” Hiccup glanced around. He wasn’t sure if he had misjudged how deep that harbor normally is of if it was the grey rolling clouds above the water that threw him off. He slowly stuck his head out of the water and glanced around. No one was there. No human was in sight, even their boats were tied in the many docks. 

“I guess they get cold.” Hiccup glanced at Toothless who appeared next to him, but the shark wasn’t having it. The black beast shoved him back under and no matter how much Hiccup fought and tried to figure out what his friend was trying to tell him, it was hopeless. He finally managed to get away and he raised his hands. 

“Toothless, just talk to me alright?” He suddenly felt as though he was frozen in a block of ice. He could see now. Coming toward them was a huge wave, twenty feet tall at least and closing in fast. Hiccup took off with Toothless right behind him. He made his way to the side of the harbor, hoping with all his might that they could slip out before the wave trapped them in. He didn’t think about what would happen if he couldn’t make it. A stinging flash of agony traveled up his tale and spine, making him drop several feet before he managed to level out with the help of Toothless under him. He gripped his friend and glanced back. He was leaving a thin trail of blood from the split in his tail. 

“Get us out of here” Hiccup cried out but as he turned back he knew they were both lost. The wave was already at the entrance of the harbor. Their exit was gone. Toothless wheeled about and went deeper into the harbor but that was too late as well. The swell was already lifting them up and in seconds Hiccup was upside down. His grip on Toothless loosened as his senses were over whelmed and he spun away. The last thought that ran through his mind was a strange calmness on seeing his mother again  
========================  
Hiccup body shook in pain as he started to come back to his senses. Panic came first though. He couldn’t breathe, he wasn’t in water. The scales on his tail were already drying out. He didn’t know how long he was out for or if the storm was over but he did need water. He flipped over onto his stomach with some difficulty and used his hands to pry his eyes open. It seemed like they were cemented shut and it took several tries for him to get his hands to work. He finally opened them to see water, only a few feet away.

“Water!” Hiccup dragged his body forward against the pain. He body screamed for liquid, every movement sent agony from his tail. After what felt like an eternity his arms gave out. Opening his eyes he saw he was less than a foot from life but blackness was already crowding his vision. He let his head drop down and forced what remaining energy he had to his arms. He took a deep breath through his mouth, a last ditch attempt for life when little bits of gravel hit his face. Arms jammed under him and he was flipped on his back, into the water. Hiccup knew he was far from dignified as he withered around. He was in only a few inches but he rolled and ducked his head under. The water flowed through his gills and he coughed out the grit. After a few minutes he went still, to exhausted to do anymore. He would live. His tail though. It had started to heal before but now, since it had dried out. He didn’t know. Hiccup let himself drift around but after a few seconds he ducked under. This time he had a few feet to maneuver in and he twisted around to look at his tail. He wished he hadn’t. It wasn’t looking so good, but he was already floating back to the surface. 

“Is he dead?” A small childs voice reached his ears as he floated around. He stiffened but didn’t move. He couldn’t keep himself down unless he held himself there, so he might as well make them think he was dead so they would leave him alone. He almost blew that plan up with a tired sigh. 

“Nope” Another male voice, maybe a teen, or a few years older spoke and it made Hiccup crack open an eye. He liked the voice. “See?” He saw a blond teen point at him as he drifted closer again. Next to him stood a boy about ten years of age and with a light brown mess of hair on his head. 

“Oh yeah. Hey do you think he understands us?” The smaller boy was eyeing Hiccup with sudden apprehension. Hiccup flipped over on his stomach when he felt the bank brush his back and lifted his front half out of the water, then glared at them 

“Well, I don’t think he’s very happy about being beached.” The blond snickered out but silenced when both Hiccup and the small boy glared at him. “Sorry, Jamie”

“Why don’t we see if he has a name?” Jamie skipped around the blond and ran up to Hiccup. “Do you have a name?” Hiccup jerked back in shock at the sudden approach and the blond chased the kid.

“Don’t do that!”The blond snapped and used a stick to drag him back.

“What? Why?” Jamie pouted out but the blond didn’t seem to care. 

“First of all, we might be the first humans this mer—person has ever seen. Second he just got beached and that probably hurt, and third, he’s most likely scared and running up on him like that might just frighten him more. Let me handle this, alright?” The blond poked the boy in the stomach with his stick before walking over to Hiccup, who was barely listening. He had let his head fall back down and let his thoughts wonder. He suddenly jerked up to see the blond was crouched beside him in the shallowes. 

“Wanna share that thought?” The blond grinned but Hiccup started to frantically search. He ran his eyes along the beach but there was nothing but a few pieces of human trash. He shoved off and flopped deeper into the water until he could send out a small sonic wave. His heart skipped a beat. First of all, he could locate Toothless. Second, he wasn’t in the ocean anymore, but a lake that didn’t go anywhere. He was trapped. Hiccup tried to swim but his tail wouldn’t work. He floated back to the surface and the tiny waves were already pushing him back to the two boys. 

“What’s wrong with him?” Jamie cried out and Hiccup felt a flash of pity for the kid. He was frightened for Hiccup, and it was Hiccup that was making it worse. Another thought came to his mind and he floundered over to the as fast as he could. 

“Hey” He blinked in shock at the roughness in his voice and bent over to cough out even more grit. It was like he tried to eat all the sand on the beach. 

“He can talk?” Jamie shreaked in delight but the Blond seemed too shocked. He had even fallen over when Hiccup had spoken. 

“Have you seen a black shark?” Hiccup panted out the words and spoke through the grating pain in his throat. 

“A shark?” The blond wheezed, “The black shark?” 

“Have you seen him?” Hiccup managed to lift himself up slightly as the boy nodded. 

“He lead us over here, but he got stuck over there.” Jamie pointed to the left and shuffled his feet in a bashful manner, “We were too frightened to help him cause I didn’t want Jack to get eaten” 

“Ah don’t worry, he doesn’t like toothpicks” Hiccup flashed a grin, too relieved to think straight. He dug his fingers into the ground under him and started to pull his body through the water with his newly found strength. 

“Why are you doing it that way?” Jamie walked along along next to him. “Did you get hurt?”

“Did you just call me a toothpick?” A shout came from behind him but they both ignored it. 

“In a way, I was hurt before but now… It’s a long story and I can explain but I gotta help Toothless.” Hiccup could now see what they were talking about. There was a very large patch of weeds and human trash, and maybe a fallen log that had trapped Toothless in a small area that was just large enough for him to swim in slow circles. 

“I guess he was so intent on you that he wasn’t watching where he was going” Jamie sighed and Hiccup glanced at him. 

“Now it’s my turn to ask if you’re alright?” He dragged himself over to the edges of the weeds and parted them the best he could. 

“I fine. It’s just he’s so devoted to you, and you to him” Jamie seemed more curious now. “By the way, you’re leaving a trail of blood” 

“I am?” Hiccup stopped his work to glance over his shoulder. Jamie was right but he looked away. He didn’t want to see it. 

“I’ll be fine” He muttered and shoved more, making a tunnel of sorts. He ducked his head under water and gave a low holler. He blinked for a second, wondering if he had to go further when Toothless suddenly appeared, swimming outright for him at full speed through the tiny tunnel. 

“Whoa whoa whoa wait!” Hiccup scrambled backward as the shark slammed into him. He heard Jamie scream but it wasn’t what stressed him. As Toothless swam deeper, Hiccup noticed that a piece of Human rubbish was wrapped around his tail and he snatched it up. He yelped as he was pulled from the shallows and deeper into the lake. He let go and tumbled over from the momentum. Toothless circles back around and nudged him. 

“I’m fine, but I need to get that off your tail” Hiccup spun around and caught it. It wasn’t hard to untangle it and Toothless swam around him in delighted whirlwind. Hiccup normally would have been fine but having lost his use in his tail, he tumbled around as it sucked him down. 

“Toothless, stop” Hiccup wailed in fear as he tried to use his arms to level himself out. After a few seconds the waters stopped throwing him about. Hiccup reached over and dug his fingers into a trash that he had pulled from Toothless and tied it to a sunken log. The other end he tied to his waist. He gave it a tug and sighed in relief as it held. 

“I know you’re happy that we are both alive but I have to rest” Hiccup patted Toothless as he swam by, but his head was already spinning with sleep. He was exhausted from the events and needed to let his body rest without floating back up.


	2. One escaped, one trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack brings a friend to help, who brings another friend when Toothless starts to get sick. The shark gets requested but Hiccup can't go with him.

Hiccup blinked open his eyes and frowned. He was staring at the bottom of a lake, brushing up against a support for a dock. Toothless swim under him and, seeing that he was awake, up to him and splashed him with water.

“What the…?” Hiccup straightened up and his head broke the surface. He shook the water from his hair before peering down. The trash was still on his tail, but the other end was ripped to shreds. Toothless swim past again, this time breaking the surface where he caught a glimpse of scraps of it in the sharks teeth. 

“You…” Before he could pick a name to call his friend, another voice interrupted him. 

“So you’re not dead” Jack was sitting on the dock with a slightly relieved look on his face. 

“Dead? Why would I be dead?” Hiccup huffed, only half listening as he started to untangle himself from the trash. 

“Because, we thought the shark attacked you, and then you were floating face down just now” Jack smirked and Hiccup finally looked closer at him. He was a sight that was for sure. The blond was actually white, almost like the moon rocks he used to find on the ocean floor. 

“I was sleeping” Hiccup murmured, ducking down to hide his blush. He just realized he was talking to a human. 

“Sleeping?” Jack snorted in laughter and Hiccup glared at him. “Sorry, but it seriously looked like you were dead”

“I’m sorry, but I was tired. And if I was killed by Toothless then there would be bites out of me right?” Hiccup clutched to the edge of the dock as he spoke and rested his chin on it. He was still a little beat, as in tired but also as in his body was battered from being thrown out of the ocean. 

“But your tail…” Jack leaned over the dock but Hiccup slid his tail under it so it’d be hidden. 

“It was from the storm, not Toothless. He’s a good shark, really” Hiccup jumped slightly as said shark swam past and shoved him out of his hiding place. 

“Look, I know that tail needs some attention” Jack slowly got to his feet and stretched as if he had been there for a while. 

“What are you going to do?” Hiccup sunk into the water with dread. All of his father’s stories about how humans would drag him off to a place where they keep animals they find. They poke them with sharp things with liquid that go into their bodies and make them sick. Jack glanced at him, seemed to think for a second before jumping into the lake next to him. 

“What’s wrong?” Jack grinned, “She ain’t that bad”

“I don’t want to be experimented on” Hiccup tried not to sniff but all the old stories seemed all too real and he couldn’t stop his heart from pounding. 

“Experimented on!” Jack stared at him for a second with wide eyes. “Never”

“But…” Hiccup wheezed and Jack was shaking his head. 

“We would never do that.” Jack placed a hand on Hiccups shoulder, “I didn’t catch your name though?”

“Hiccup” 

“Hiccup and Toothless” Jacks face suddenly went white as Toothless swam by, “I forgot he was here”

“He won’t hurt you”

“Cause I’m a toothpick?” Jack grunted as he scrambled back onto the dock. Hiccup watched for a few seconds before sighing. He shoved his shoulder under the teens butt and heaved him back up. Jack tumbled onto the dock with a laugh. Hiccup felt himself smile for the first time since he ended up in the lake as Jack laughed. 

“I can barely believe this.” Jack panted out as he got control of himself. He leaned over the dock, growing serious. “I have to get my friend, but I want you to know that she will not hurt you in any way. She’s a good person”

“What’s her name?” Hiccup grinned, though he was still a little worried about Jacks judgment. 

“Ah, that’s one thing you have in common with her. A weird name.” Jack flashed a wink and jumped to his feet. “Everyone calls her the Tooth Fairy, or Tooth for short.” 

“Why?” Hiccup let himself float back out from under the dock. He noticed the way Jack cringed though as his tail came into view. 

“I…have no idea. I’ve never really asked” Jack gave a wave and took off at a full pelt. Hiccup watched him go but jerked back when he realized he was watching the way Jack moved. He felt his face heat up and flipped over so he could hide it in the water. 

“Should I be hiding from other humans?” He spoke to Toothless, who was once again swimming in slow circles. Hiccup used his time to explore more of the lake. It wasn’t much of one, not that he knew much about then to start with. He only knew it was a lake because there was a legend about it. It was clearer water now that it had settled and he slowly swept all the trash onto one part of the beach before he had to stop. Toothless had to help him back to the dock. 

“Sorry bud” Hiccup panted him on the nose as he swam back another time to check on him. “What would I do without you?” He let himself float around and rest, but this time he faced up and watched the sky as he held onto the dock. He dozed for what felt like hours when he heard voices. Hiccup flipped over and wiggled under the dock so he was out of sight. 

“I know I’m asking a lot of you but he’s hurt, and it seems like he doesn’t want to inconvience anyone because of it” Jack was speaking as the sound of him on the boards of the dock almost drowned him out. Hiccup opened his mouth to protest but then sighed. It was true, if only slightly. He did give off that impression. 

“Jack if this is another one of your pranks.” A soft female voice spoke with a mixture of scolding and amusement. 

“It’s not, I swear!” Jacks voice was right above Hiccup but he found that he was hanging back. He wanted to hear more of their conversation, learn more about the new human before he reveiled himself. 

“Jack?” The woman cautioned, and Hiccup saw a moment later why when Jacks head appeared. Jack didn’t see him though before the woman snatched him back. “There’s a shark!” Toothless was making his way over to see what all the noise was about. 

“What? Yeah, his name is Toothless” Jack snapped, “Hiccup! Where are you?” 

“Jack, if what you’re saying is true then the shark…” The woman trailed off like she was to frightened about what she thought happened to actually say it. 

“No no no, Toothless would never do that” Jack tried to stick his head back under but the woman slapped him. 

“Strange, I don’t recognize the species” Toothless swam past and lifted out of the water slightly to get a look at those on the dock. Hiccup ducked his head under the water so he wouldn’t be heard.

“What do you think?” He asked but Toothless swam off in what looked like a daze. Hiccup followed him with his eyes and then it clicked. First, the oxygen in the water was getting used up a little fast by two large creatures living there. Second, they needed more salt. He could feel it. The water they had been washed in with was already being made fresher by the one stream that Hiccup had found earlier. This made up his mind, so he reached over to the edge of the dock and pulled himself out and up. 

“You have to help Toothless. Fresh water isn’t good for him!” Hiccup practically yelled at the two humans. Jack looked faintly surprised, but the woman almost fell into the lake from jumping in shock. Jack caught her and easily placed her back on her feet. She was smaller than him, and wore bright clothes that made Hiccup feel like his eyes would tear up from looking at her.

“He…He’s…” She wavered on her feet, but then sat down. 

“He’s hurt and I brought you here to help” Jack tried to bring her back around but she wasn’t having it. 

“Tail…?” She was staring at Hiccup with her mouth hanging open. 

“Please help my shark get back to the ocean, and maybe some food?” Hiccup looked her in the eye and after a second the glaze in hers vanished. 

“Yes, a shark in this lake wouldn’t survive for very long. I have some bait fish in my truck, can you go get it?” She spoke to Jack, but it was more of a polite order than a request. Jack gave him a grin before bolting away again. 

“How long can a shark live in a lake like this?” Hiccup asked, letting himself drop back into the water. 

“A few day’s maybe less. We should definitely move him tonight” She pulled out a small, flat thing and started fiddling with it before she put it up to her ear. “Bun”

“What’s…?” Hiccup started to ask but was shushed. He frowned at her and tried to ignore the way his stomach had started to growl. Now that he thought about feeding Toothless, he was reminded of his own hunger. It was over a day since he had eaten.

“Look, I know it’s in the middle of your lunch break but I had a new species of shark that needs under ground transport back to the ocean. I know you have a way” The woman spoke into the thing in her hand and Hiccup faintly heard a voice answer, which sounded a misture between angry and intrigued. 

“I need you here by tonight, I’ll text you the coordinates. Bring the team” She dropped the thing and turned back to him. 

“What is that?” Hiccup pointed at the thing and she waved his question away. 

“I need to see that tail” She pointed and he moved it back under the dock.

“What about Toothless?” Hiccup glared at her, but he was mostly frustraited with himself that he was in a situation where he needed to trust complete strangers. 

“I told you he was stubborn” Jack was back with a bucket in his hand.

“Throw that in the water, as far away from here as you can.” The woman instructed but Jack just flung the bucket as far as he could into the middle of the lake. “That’s not what I meant”

“I can fetch it later, I can swim now” Jack gave her a shrug and dropped down to sit next to her. “Hiccup, this is Tooth. Tooth, this is my friend Hiccup” 

“Oh dear, I forgot to introduce myself” Tooth murmured worriedly but then shook it off. “Bun is on his way over, so you got to hide when he gets here”

“Why?” Both Jack and Hiccup asked as Tooth started to pull out stuff from a bright orange box. 

“Bun hates him” Tooth spoke causally, which made it all the more shocking. 

“Yeah, maybe a little” Jack slumped down and Hiccup frowned at them both. 

“Can he be trusted with Toothless?” Before he heard an answer though, he ducked under to see if Toothless was eating. His friend was not only done with his meal but swimming toward him. Hiccup resurfaced, glad that he was feeling better when the shark wedged under him and threw him out of the water and onto the dock.

“Thanks Toothless” Jack called over the side of the dock and Toothless flicked a wave at him, which soaked him from the knees down. Hiccup glowered at the both of them but jumped when a hand landed on his tail. 

“We need to wrap this up” Tooth was almost whispering as she ran a hand down his tail. As she reached the end Hiccup cringed in pain. Tooth snatched her hand back but Jack settled next to him. Hiccup found himself leaning against the white haired teen as Tooth started to rub a paste on his tail. 

“Should we…should we try to stitch it up or something?” Jack peered around Hiccup to examine the wound.

“I don’t know, maybe we should have called North” Tooth pressed the paste into the tear, which only made Hiccup press tighter against Jack in pain. 

“I’m sorry Hiccup, but I don’t know if I can fix this” Tooth sounded close to tears but Hiccup took a deep breath. He had to look. The first part was alright, but there was a long gash that made its way from about halfway down to the very tip. But that wasn’t the worst part. The fin that used to be the tip was practically shredded. There were the faint bits of support but that was pretty much it. 

“I was hurt before the wave swept me here.” Hiccup slumped back and gave his tail a feeble flick. 

“Bunny’s here” Tooth hissed suddenly and Hiccup jerked his head up. A second later though, he and Jack were in the water. Hiccup gritted his teeth against the burn on his wounds as Jack dragged them under the dock. A hand slapped over his mouth and he nipped at it. Jack snatched his hand back and glowered at him. A second later Toothless swam by and a man spoke above them. 

“I’ve never seen one like it?” An accent was full of shock and awe. 

“He has to get back to the ocean, Bun” Tooth scolded, and a second later a looped cloth was draped over the edge of the dock.

“All right, fishing for sharks” The man chuckled under his breath and Toothless drifted next to Hiccup. He ducked his head under water quietly and let Jack hold him under as he nudged and coerced the shark into the sling. Toothless seemed fine with it, but as he was lifted away he started thrashing. Hiccup stifled a cry of loss as the man moved his friend away. He changed his mind and tried to break free from Jack, who was still clinging to him. 

“Toothless!” Hiccup broke the surface but it was too late. “Oh Gods, what have I done?” 

“You saved your friends life there, little one” Another deep voice, but not the one that took Toothless spoke above him. 

“How can I be sure of that? I don’t even know you” Hiccup snarled at the large man, who looked like a nicer version of his father even with several tattoos running up and down his arms. He didn’t care that he was hurt anymore. He jerked away from Jack, who had made his way out from beneath the dock and swam down. He kept swimming even though he could feel the water wash the sticky salve from his tail, even as his stomach ached from being completely empty. He swam under a log that was precariously propped up and the motion of him swimming under made it roll. Hiccup sobbed as it pinned his tail to the floor of the lake. He clawed at the bottom but it didn’t get him free, so he shoved his shoulder against the log, it didn’t budge. He wasn’t strong enough, all the events he survived through but now he was to weak to free himself. He was going to die here.


	3. Help

Hiccup sat there, trying to think of a way out of his predicament. He tried to move his tail but the log had firmly pinned it to the ground. Every little flick caused him pain but he kept trying to free himself. A strange noise started behind him but he couldn’t see what it was. He craned his neck around but he was shaking so hard that he flopped back over. A second later though, the weight on his tail lifted a little. Hiccup managed to peer over his shoulder again and focus on a familiar blond who was shoving the log away. 

“Jack” Hiccup groaned but he pulled. His tail came free and he tumbled tail over head, coming to a rest on the floor. He lifted his head to se Jack struggling to swim back up. As he watched the blond became still. Hiccup shoved off as hard as he could manage and slammed into Jack, propelling him upward. There was a splash as the large man jumped in the water. Hiccup flicked his tail but he wasn’t moving, except for the slow floating upward. He didn’t have to worry much though. The shove had moved Jack to the surface of the water and the large man was already pulling him to the dock. 

“Jack!” Hiccup yelled after him but there wasn’t a point. He knew that Jack couldn’t hear him. His body heaved in protest as he thought of what just occurred. He felt his stomach heave but nothing came up. He hadn’t eaten anything. Everything was become too much again and he started to black out. His last sight was a wavy image of Jack leaning over the dock to look into the water.

======================================================

Hiccup felt himself being lifted around and when he opened his eyes he saw nothing. It was too dark. Everything was shifted from side to side as if there was an earthquake or a storm

“Jack?” Hiccup reached forward but his hand hit something slippery. He slapped it again but he couldn’t see it. He reached down and it was there as well. He then ran his hands alone the thing in front of him but suddenly the darkness was replaced by a bright light. He jerked away as it shined in his eyes and smacked into the invisible thing behind him. 

“Hiccup, just calm down. I’ll explain everything when we get to a safe space” Jack was barely visible though the light but Hiccup could see that he was holding back a cloak that was coving the thing that he was in. 

“Why?” Hiccup sunk back against what he guessed was a tank. He didn’t like it, he wasn’t supposed to be in a tank, but the lake. 

“A man called Pitch Black, he found out about you and we had to get you out of there before he tried to grab you.” Jack glanced over his shoulder and when he turned back there was a look of terror on his face. “I couldn’t let him get you” 

“Who is he?” Hiccup let himself relax and drift back toward Jack. The blond was truly frightened. 

“He likes to collect rare stuff, animals, anything. Like you.” Jake sighed before a voice called behind him. “Look, I gotta go for a second but I’ll be right back” Jack dropped the cloth, making it once again black. Hiccup flipped over so he was floating on his back and thought. He blinked at the strange feeling with his tail, which was bound with something. He felt around it but still couldn’t figure out what was binding it, or why it was numb. 

“Jack?” Hiccup flipped back over and pressed his face against the tank where Jack had appeared before but the blond didn’t show. The tank jerked to the side and Hiccup was thrown about. He yelped as he was suddenly tossed up and his head broke the surface of the water, before it hit something. Hiccup grabbed his head in one hand and the other hand caught a bar. After the stars behind his eyes stopped dancing, he felt around and felt that there were bars above his eyes. 

“Really?” Hiccup rubbed his head again and glared at the bars. He patted at the cloth over the bars for a second before sighing. He really wished everything would be over with. All this and he was still half starved. He was tired of waiting. Maybe he was just tired of the stress. 

“Hiccup,” Jack was back and Hiccup realized that they had stop moving. He used the bars to move himself over the small distance to where Jack had appeared under the cloth.

“Is everything alright?” Hiccup glowered slightly as he was stuck into the tank, which was shorter than Jack. The blond reached over and pulled the bars free. Hiccup instantly shoot through and leaned against the edge of the tank. 

“Promise not to be angry, but we brought you to a small lake that connects to the ocean. You have to rest though” Jack shuffled around, “But you can leave whenever you feel up to it”

“Please tell me you have food?” Hiccup barely heard what Jack had said as he grabbed the front of the blonds shirt and shook. 

“We can get you something!” Jack stammered out as he was shaken. Hiccup heard a loud chuckle and the large man suddenly pulled the cloth completely off. Hiccup cringed but the light wasn’t as painful as before. 

“I think we should get you youngster into the lake first” The man smiled friendly like, “Though I do believe we haven’t been introduced, just call me North” 

“You pulled Jack out of the water” Hiccup beamed at the man and he nodded. Jack grabbed his shoulder and pulled him up. Hiccup squeaked in surprise as he was lifted up. He wrapped his arms around Jack’s shoulders as he slid into the blond arms. 

“We need you in that lake so we can hide the truck and then we can eat” Jack hopped off the truck and stumbled. Hiccup whimpered as the ground started to come up fast but they stopped short. 

“He might be a bit heavy for you” North scolded softly as he set Jack back on his feet. Hiccup wheezed in relief but cringed as Jack tightened his grip.

“I got it” Jack snapped and staggered away. Hiccup lifted his head away from Jack’s shoulder to see North following close behind with a slight frustrated look on his face. Hiccup gave him a small smile before burying his face back into Jack’s neck. He closed his eyes and let himself relaxed. After a few seconds of swinging wildly in Jack’s arms he opened his eyes again. They were on another dock, and Jack dropped to a knee. “Ready?” 

“Yeah” Hiccup pulled away from the warmth and gazed at the water. He could see to the bottom it was so clear. He slipped in and gasped at the sudden chill. He shuttered in shock but opened his eyes when he heard a grunt. He was still clinging to Jack. “Sorry”

“It’s fine” Jack pulled back and rubbed his head. North walked over and dropped a bag next to them on the dock.

“All right, here’s some food and Tooth and I are going to hide the truck and see if Pitch knows what happened” North suddenly trued stern, “Hiccup, keep that wrap on your tail. The numbing cream will be wearing off in about half an hour so be prepared, and try not to swim very much.” 

 

“Food?” Hiccup reached for the bag and peaked in. Jack took the bag away as North left, he placed a strong smelling package on the dock, along with a some other packages. 

“Here” Jack unwrapped one of the packages, “See? A cheeseburger” Jack saw that Hiccup was staring at the food with a weary look so he took a bite. 

“Alright” Hiccup snatched it up and jammed it as much as he could in his mouth. It was strongly flavored but not at all awful. He almost bit his finger as he scarffed the rest down. 

“Slow down or you’ll get sick” Jack warned and Hiccup stopped. He wasn’t sure if the warning had come to late or not. He leaned against the dock and closed his eyes. He wasn’t hungry anymore but he was still stuck away from home. 

“Did Toothless get back to the ocean?” He blinked up at Jack who got a strange look on his face. 

“Yeah, we got the call from Bun that he did” Jack put down his cheeseburger with a swallow. 

“Good” Hiccup smiled softly at the thought that his friend was safe. They ate in silence, which really consisted with Hiccup snatching up what he learned were French fries as Jack finished his burger. 

“How’s the tail?” Jack flopped over and held his stomach after all the food was gone. Hiccup gave a little wiggle and smiled. He didn’t hurt. 

“Not pain filled?” He was happy that he was eye level with Jack again. Jack stared at him with the same strange look on his face again. Hiccup cocked his head to the side but he still couldn’t figure out why.

“That’s good, I think” Jack turned his face sky ward and Hiccup slipped further off the dock. He ducked under and washed some of the remains of his dinner from his face. He stuck out his tongue at the cold. He pulled himself back up and saw that Jack had sat up. Hiccup gasped as his stomach flipped. He tried to blame it on the food but his heart knew the truth. He liked Jack.

“Oh” Hiccup dug his fingers into the dock and closed his eyes. He couldn’t like Jack. He was a human.

“Are you alright? Is your tail hurting you?” Jack frantically called, and Hiccup groaned in shock. He shook his head and opened his eyes. “Hiccup, talk to me” 

“I…” Hiccup swallowed back tears and let go of the dock. He floated on his back and watched as a star appeared in the darkening sky above him. He opened his mouth to speak when Jack gave a shout. Hiccup jerked up and a second later Jack hit the water. Hiccup went to swim to him when a hand grabbed his arm and jerked him out of the water. 

“Ah, just what I was looking for” A man spoke. He was dressed in all black, which clashed with his sickly skin and he had Hiccup. 

“Put him back” Hiccup felt a chill travel down his back at the change in Jack’s voice. He was mad, but this was something that even Hiccup knew happened rarely and it was dangerous. 

“No I think not” The man scowled at Jack. Hiccup clawed at him but his arms were suddenly behind his back and a sharp pain on his neck made him shriek. He heard Jack yell but the world was already spinning. He watched as the single star spun around into blackness. 

=============================================

“Jack!” Hiccup jerked awake. He was in a different tank. This one was big, circular with a large rock in the middle. Hiccup flipped around but froze as his tail sent waves of pain up his spine. He shook in pain as he took it all in. He looked around and saw the man standing next to the tank. He strolled up the stairs that lined the tank and leaned over to watch Hiccup drift around. 

“I’m Pitch Black, and you are my merman. The pinnacle of my collection, once you heal that is” The man sneered at him and Hiccup just arched his eyes brow. 

“Good for you, Skippy” Hiccup snapped, “But I’m going to get out of here eventually” With that he ducked down and swam as best he could to the rock, which had a small cave that he jammed himself in. He could hear Pitch tapping on the tank but he didn’t leave. After several minutes he heard a frustrated shout. He could just see the bottom of the stairs and after a few seconds he saw the man storm away. 

“Where am I?” Hiccup murmured to himself as he leaned out. He couldn’t make heads or tails of it. So he wiggled back and pulled his tail in front of him. The wrappings were gone, which he knew was bad. The numbness was defiantly gone. His hand shook as he ran it over the wound. It had started to heal but it still had a long way to go. 

“Time?” He ducked back out and saw that the sun was shining through a window, but he couldn’t see if it was rising or setting. The pounding in his head wasn’t helping him think; he leaned against the rock and let his head roll back. He jerked up a second later as a shooting pain came from his neck. Reaching up he remembered the pain from before and he found a welt. 

“What am I going to do?” He leaned over and tucked his tail close. 

=====================================================

Hiccup opened his eyes and glared at the opening of his small cave. He was now on day two. He had swam out to get a closer look at things but there was no way for him to escape. His tail had actually healed some since all he did was sit in the cave. Some of the fin had grown back but he was staving again. Pitch had a man dump some half rotten fish into the tank but Hiccup didn’t even go near it. A noise broke through his boredom. He rolled his eyes at the thought of Pitch coming to see him again in attempt to get him out. 

“Hiccup” It wasn’t Pitch. He felt his heart skip a beat as he slowly leaned out of the cave. Jack was standing on the top of the stairs with a panicked look on his face. Hiccup swam as fast as he could with his half healed tail and using his hands the best he could. He made his way right up to him and grabbed the edge of the tank.

“Jack!” Hiccup shot up and into the others arms. The blond kissed him as he caught him and Hiccup kissed back rather greedily. He lost how long they were like that but then a finger tapped his shoulder. He jerked back and pressed himself against Jack, fearing that Pitch had found them. 

“Right, sorry Sandy” Jack spoke to a very short man with sand colored hair, who was looking very displeased and was tapping on a band on his wrist. The two raced down the stairs with Hiccup flung over Jack’s shoulder. Hiccup, although he had a nice view of Jack’s running rear, couldn’t see where they were going.

“They found the truck?” Jack hissed suddenly as they skidded to a halt. Hiccup had no idea what they were talking about, though so far only Jack had said anything, but he decided that it was best if he stayed quiet as well. He did groan in shock as Jack spun around and they were running in the different direction. Sandy and Jack ducked out of an opening and ran across an area full of cars. Hiccup grumbled as he was juggled around as they skidded to a halt again. Jack opened a back door and they tumbled in. Sandy jumped in front behind a wheel and the car rumbled to life. 

“What happened?” Hiccup slumped against Jack, enjoying the comfort of contact. 

“We’re getting you out” Jack smiled as he pulled him closer. 

“I got that, but whose car is this?” Hiccup glanced out the window and jerked back as a car raced past with blaring music and headlamps that blinded him. 

“Sandy’s” Jack nodded to the short man. 

“Oh, thank you both for getting me out of there” Hiccup sighed and relaxed against the blond. 

“Don’t say that just yet, we haven’t gotten out of the dark yet” Jack stared out of the back window over his head. “And we don’t even have any water to keep your tail from drying out.”

“That’s alright” Hiccup went back to nuzzling the pale neck, enjoying his self even though his tail was starting to bother him. He stifled a whimper as he wiggled to see how bad it was getting. He got a comforting kiss from Jack and he felt as though he was melting. After several minutes he had to pull back for a breath, but the movements made him cringe. “Jack” He heard the other gasp and assumed that it was the state of his tail that made the blond distressed. A second later there was something dragged over his lap. 

“Hiccup, did you know this could happen?” Jack sounded stressed alright, but when Hiccup opened his eyes and looked down he saw why. His tail was now a pair of busted up, human legs. 

“My tail!” Hiccup reached down and grabbed the legs, bashing Jack in the chin in the process. “Where did it go!” He practically wailed in shock but before he could do more, the car skidded to the side. Hiccup clung to Jack and Jack was yelling about Sandy and Pitch. He didn’t open his eyes until a female voice was speaking though the window. She spoke quietly with Sandy, who nodded. She waved a little with her hands and then they were moving again. Hiccup slumped closer to Jack and blinked. Jack had pulled a jacket over Hiccup, and when he tried to lift it away to see what was under it the blond slapped his hand away. 

“Don’t, I’ll explain later” Jack nuzzled his neck but Hiccup could tell he was being serious. Hiccup tipped his head to the side but then shrugged. He smiled and contemplated taking a nap when the car stopped again. He peered out of the window to see they were next to a large building. 

“Sandy!” Jack snarled lowly but the man was already out of the car. “No! No way!” Jack gathered him up and wrapped his arms around him. Hiccup leaned against him and still tried to see why he was acting strange. 

“Jack, he needs medical care” North opened the back door and leaned in. 

“Not without me” Jack huffed and Hiccup grinned at him. 

“Jack” Hiccup and North both spoke, Hiccup continued at North’s nod. “I need to know what’s going on, but I’m not going without you cause I don’t trust any of these people” 

“Got it” Jack shuffled over and handed him off to North. Jack pulled him down the jacket around his waist before he was picked up again. 

“Why?” Hiccup glowered at him but Jack didn’t seem to care. He didn’t care a moment later when he saw that he was surrounded by people. He shrank against the blond as he was carried to the building and placed on what he was told was a stretcher. 

“We’re just going to have a quick look at you” A woman in blue spoke to him softly and he was placed into a room with a man at the door. The woman poked him all over then messed around with his legs. After a while more people started to come in and his legs were wrapped up.

“We should get an IV in him.” A man murmured but the woman shook her head.

“Just water until he’s calmed down.” She gave him a soft smiled before ushering then all out of the room. 

“Jack, what is this all about?” Hiccup frowned as the man that remained right outside the door. Jack took a deep breath a gave him a nudge, which Hiccup took as ‘move’ and scooted over to give his friend some room. The blond jumped onto the bed and stretched out with a grin.

“So, if you were still a merman, or at least looked like one, it could be questioned if it was really kidnapping if you weren’t completely human. Pitch Black isn’t liked much around here and it’s known that he does dirty dealings, but nothing was ever proven. But when he took you we told the police that he had you, just not that you were a merman. Since the ten minutes when we took you back, he contacted the police and gave up all the video cameras he had of us taking you, except you can’t tell that you are a merman and, well…long story short. He just handed over evidence that he kidnapped you and he’s going to be in prison for that, and anything else they find about his life style.” 

“So, he can’t touch me now” Hiccup tucked himself down into the bed and smiled.

“I wouldn’t let anything like that happen again, I promise” Jack settled down next to him and Hiccup happily dozed.


	4. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup's time to leave the hospital and he and Jack go to Norths cabin for more recovery time.

Almost a full moon passed before he could walk across the room without help from Jack or a nurse. His feet and legs healed but they still wobbled under him if he stood for more than twenty minutes or tried to run. A man came in and asked in a very polite manner for him to testify against Pitch. Hiccup had panicked when he explained what it meant, which made several nurses rush in and promptly eject the man from the room and followed him out shouting words he didn’t fully understand. 

“I don’t want to testify.” Hiccup whispered softly. He had made his way to the corner of the room, as far away from where the man was as he could get. The man had gotten angry when he had refused and all Hiccup could say was that he didn’t want to testify. Jack stood in front of him, trying and somewhat failing to calm him down. The nurses had made sure not to press him about his kidnapping, but the man had asked many questions about what had happened making all the memories rush back. 

“It’s alright. You don’t have to see him ever again.” Jack took another step forward and Hiccup didn’t flinch away as before. 

“Damn skippy” A rather large nurse walked in with a furious look on her face. She stomped over to them and pulled them both into a hug. “We have explained to that beast of a man that he has more than enough evidence to put Pitch Black away for several life sentences and that he has no need to place you on the same block as that kidnapping….” She took a deep breath but still looked strained. 

“You are like a momma bear.” Jack muttered, eyeing her with fear. 

“I have three daughters and several grandkids. You might say I know a thing or two!“ the nurse slowly started to tear up a little and Hiccup felt his panic vanish.

“What’s wrong?” He stepped around Jack, who was now worried as he was, and placed a hand on her arm. 

“Oh it’s stupid. You’re going to be released back into the care of North and he is coming in about an hour to take you back home” She took a deep breath but he could tell she wasn’t much better from it. 

“I’m going home?” He shot a look at Jack but before the blond answered his legs jerked under him. 

“Time to sit down” Jack slipped his arm around him and they made their way to the bed. Hiccup sighed in relief as the weight was taken off his legs but he felt his own emotions rear up. He was terrified that he would be stuck with legs instead of a tail forever. 

“Yes, you are going home.” Jack growled a little matter of factly before he dropped into a chair next to the bed. He had been banned from even sitting on the bed with Hiccup because the nurses got tired of walking in on them kissing. 

“I’ll still come in for check-ups right? So we will see each other again.” Hiccup soothed the nurse. All the nurses seemed to love him and Jack, though he didn’t have a clue as to why. They lost it when they found out that he grew up without a mother and became motherly to him even more. 

“You are such a good kid and you’ve been through so much.” The nurse sniffed before pulling him into a comforting hug. With a few more sniffs she checked on his legs, which were no longer bandaged but still had bright pink scars running up to his knees, but then she had to leave. 

“I like her.” Jack smiled at her retreating back but she spun. 

“You still aren’t allowed to be in that bed.” She snapped, pointing a finger at the blond. Jack smiled dropped into a mocking frown before he leaned forward as far as he could while he remained seated. 

“I can still reach him.” Jack growled playfully and Hiccup ducked over to place a quick kiss on his cheek. The blond broke into a bright grin though still looked a little shocked. Hiccup loved it when he would get the shocked look because he knew it was from him. Jack still couldn’t believe that Hiccup liked him in such a way and failed every time to hide it. Hiccup was positively ecstatic that Jack loved him. He was just better at hiding it. 

Over the next hour and a half all the nurses that ever tended to him or even passed by or heard about him had come in to say their goodbyes. Jack and Hiccup faced them together, thanking them and trying not to show that they were more eager to leave then they were to let them. Several nurses kept reminding Hiccup of everything he wasn’t allowed to do and grilled Jack on making sure that he didn’t do them. 

“Boys” North finally strolled in with a massive folder in his hands. Jack hopped to his feet and grabbed a bag of his stuff, since he practically lived in the room with Hiccup since the very first day. Hiccup went to stand but a nurse walked in with a wheeled chair. 

“Really?” He frowned at it, wanting to walk out of the hospital on his own two feet. 

“It is mandatory for all patients” The nurse scolded slightly but she was smiling. He shifted over to the seat with a massive sigh. She wheeled him into the hall, where everyone stopped to say one last goodbye. The guard, who had stayed outside his door until a week ago had come to say his own goodbyes as well and Hiccup happily shook his hand. The patients all waved as he was rolled past and he started to feel as if he was leaving his family behind. He had spent so much time there and they had all became such good friends to him that he was tearing up. 

“Are you alright?” Jack whispered in his ear, taking over the job of pushing the chair. 

“I’m going to miss them so much.” Hiccup explained, thinking of his tribe that barely spent the time to get to know him because they thought he was too weak to do anything even though he was the leaders son. A second later they were outside in the sunlight and Hiccup was allowed to stand. One last hug from his nurse and he was helped into an old car that glinted in the sun. Jack showed him how to buckle in and they were driving. 

“So where are we driving to?” Hiccup smiled at North, who was obviously sitting comfortable with his rather heavy frame tucked into the driver’s seat. He had learned a lot about human objects by watching television so he knew that it was strange to see that there was room.

“We are going to a cabin by a rather large river that goes to the ocean. It’s secluded so you’ll be safe.” North explained, glancing at him through a mirror that was set on the window. Hiccup shot a look at Jack before turning back to the man. 

“Does anyone else know that I’m not human?” He shuttered at the thought of being stolen away again. 

“Not that we know of. All the people who knew were either your alley or in prison and even though he will never see freedom, Pitch will not tell anyone what you are and no one will believe him if he did talk.” North took a turn a little to fast, making Jack slid into him because he wasn’t wearing a seat belt. “Put your seat belt on!” the man bellowed. Jack glowered at him for a second before clicking it into place. 

“You never used to be this strict about seat belts.” Jack muttered under his breath, crossing his arms with a pout. 

“Well, it’s not like I want a ticket and if we do get in a wreck it’s better that the both of you are safe.” North scolded and Hiccup smiled at them, loving the odd relationship they had. 

“Ugh” Jack pulled his hood over his head and hunched against Hiccups side. Hiccup breathed a happy sigh as he wrapped an arm around the blond before he turned to watch the city flash by his window. It was strange how familiar everything was to him. It was so different from the oceans and seas he had visited with his father. Down there everything was relatively the same. 

“It’ll take a few hours to get there so you should sleep. We can stop half way there so everyone can stretch their legs.” North spoke quietly and Hiccup felt a wave of confusion until he heard a faint snore come from Jack. He grinned at the cuteness of it all before he turned back to the window. He didn’t want to miss anything. Whatever he wanted though, it wasn’t the fog bank that rolled in. With a frown, he peered out as he struggled to see anything past ten feet in the fog. There were the tallest trees he had ever seen and everything was green. 

“You might see more later” North tried to sooth but Hiccup huffed. Talking in the silence created by the fog made him uneasy. Instead he shuffled down next to Jack and closed his eyes. 

================================  
Hiccup woke with a jerk when the car suddenly rumbled to silence. He sat up, surprised that he slept through the whole trip. North rolled out of the car with a grunt and gently shut the door. Hiccup watched in shock as the man walked off, not even looking at the back seat. Hiccup shook Jack awake and the blond sat up yawning. 

“We’re here?” Jack tried to slid out of the car but he still had his seat belt on so he only managed to fall forward with a grunt of pain. Hiccup chuckled as he snapped the belt open and freed the blond. He clicked his own belt open and scooted out after Jack until they were both standing a little lost outside the car. The trees around them were so tall that it felt like he was swimming in a sea of weeds. Hesitantly, Hiccup walked over to one and placed his hand on it. It didn’t sway away from him like the weeds would do and so he leaned against axAQ1X it, resting his chin so he could gaze up through that branches to see the sky beyond. 

“You like the trees?” Jack appeared next to him, his back against the tree but gazed up like Hiccup was. 

“They are beautiful.” Hiccup smiled, returning his attention to the tree. It was rough, but somewhat relaxing to touch. He sat down and ran his hands through the grass under him. Jack slid down next to him with a strange look on his face. “What is it?” Hiccup glanced at the blond before he got distracted by a bird flying past them. It almost reminded him of when fish would flicker past him and an ache started in his chest. He knew he was in love with Jack, a sort of bond that he would never have with anyone else. He would also never be able to show Jack his home. 

“Here.” Jack picked a strange plant and handed it to Hiccup. It was tiny, white flower. “It’s a clover flower, and they can come in pink too. Some people think they are weeds but they are pretty regardless.” 

“It is pretty, thank you” Hiccup held the flower close to his chest and looked at his friend through his eye lashes. Jack blushed in a becoming manner and looked away, clearing his throat. 

“Um, the dock is this way.” He jumped to his feet, pulling Hiccup next to him and started walking to the dock in all the same motion. Hiccup stumbled after him in shock. His own heart started to pound, thinking about what might happen when he touched the water again. The dock was barely large enough for them to walk down side by side and it only went out a few feet into a large river. 

“It connects to the ocean?” Hiccup laid on his stomach to peer into the depth. It was a little murky but he could manage. Taking a deep breath, he sat back up, but it didn’t help him. He was starting to gasp for air, his chest aching as he tried to get oxygen. 

“It’ll be alright.” Jack dropped to his knee next to him with gasp of shock. “I know what’s going through your mind but we’re… we’re going to have a little fun.” Hiccup jerked around to stare at him, not understanding how any of what was going on could be considered fun. Jack threw his arms around him, giving his forehead a gentle kiss before tipping sideways. Hiccup yelped in surprise as they plunged into the water. Jack let go and kicked off the bottom, making his way back to the surface. Hiccup felt a wave of mischievousness and followed. He surfaced just enough so he could see Jack, then jerked up the rest of the way and squirted out stream of water at him. 

“Ack.” His hands shot up to block his face but it didn’t do much good so Jack started to splash him. Hiccup didn’t mind the water but he splashed back, laughing at the faces Jack was making when a shadow flew over them. Hiccup barely had a moment to register before a wave of water smacked him in the face. Ducking under he saw and extra pair of legs kicking. Resurfacing he say Jamie swimming next to them with a grin on his face. 

“Hi” The boy beamed at him as Jack stared in astonishment. 

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in school?” Jack stammered out but Jamie just grinned. 

“We had a break.” The boy swam in slow circles before diving under. He reappeared next to Hiccup. “By the way, your tail looks a lot better.” Hiccup felt his breath hitch and stared down. The boy was right. He was having so much fun with Jack that he didn’t notice his legs had turned back into a green tail. It was even healed. There was pink strips up his tail like there were on his legs but now they came all the way up to his waist. Reaching down he ran his hand along it, all the way to the fin, which had healed enough so it was connected but there was still several tears at the end. 

“I told you it would be fine.” Jack pulled himself up on the dock with another strange look. Hiccup blinked in shock as he recognized what it was. He opened his mouth but then changed his mind. 

“What would be fine? I know that Pitch Black did something but they didn’t tell me anything else.” Jamie grabbed the dock but shook Hiccups arm to get his attention. 

“Oh, I had feet for a while.” Hiccup smiled, loving the boys curiosity. “We didn’t really know if my tail would return.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” Jamie glanced at Jack. He had noticed Jack’s strange behavior as well. “Does that mean you’re going home?” 

“Well, maybe. I love my family but I like it here just fine. They won’t miss me much. I have to go back to find Toothless, but other than that…” Hiccup trailed off as the light came back on behind his eyes. The blond lunged forward and pulled Hiccup into a kiss, halfway falling into the water. Hiccup felt the bond strengthen between them and he closed his eyes. Jamie started to make mock gagging noises and when they didn’t stop he started to splash them with water. 

“Come on. I wanna play. Not watch you two make out.” Jamie complained, pulling himself onto the dock and glaring at them. Hiccup jerked away with a gasp and Jack ended up in the river face first. 

“Sorry Jamie, but this moron thought I was just going to leave him.” Hiccup smiled, a little dazed, at the grumpy kid. 

“You should stay here forever.” Jamie snapped out of his funk and flopped on his stomach. “You’re fun and you make Jack happy.” 

“I don’t think it’s that hard to make Jack happy.” Hiccup turned to see that Jack was still floating around on his back. 

“He really likes you, and he will be sad if you leave.” He sighed, watching Jack as well. 

“I will have to leave for a little bit, but I will always come back here.” Hiccup assured him, suddenly wondering what Jamie was to Jack and if they were related. 

“You better.” Jamie tried to sound threatening but it came out cuter than anything else. He opened his mouth to say something but there was a call. “That’ll be North and Tooth. Dinner should be ready.”

“I’ll get Jack, you go.” Hiccup smiled at him but the boy rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, so you two can make out again.” He jumped to his feet and ran off, still soaked from his dip in the river. 

“Jack” Hiccup stuck his head under the water to call before he remembered Jack wouldn’t understand. Taking the chance, he tested his tail as he swam after the teen as he floated along. He caught up easily, his tail feeling fine if not a little stiff to use. 

“Jack” Hiccup stretched out on his back next to him, his tail brushing against the others legs. Jack opened his eyes and grinned. 

“Hi” Jack murmured.

“Jamie said dinner is ready” Hiccup flipped his tail around until they were floating back toward the dock. 

“You are really going to stay with us, with me?” Jack stared at him. 

“Yes Jack. There’s this thing, a merperson thing.” Hiccup felt a blush rise to his checks as he remembered the lesson. “It’s a mate thing, a soul mate thing. A connection, but the thing was that since so many people never found their mates they weren’t sure exactly how it works. Now I think that their mates could simply be human and we are told to never talk to humans ever again.”

“What?” Jack scrambled upright and grabbed his shoulders. 

“Something happened to a merperson and human so we broke all contact but that was thousands of years ago. The thing I’m trying to say is that you are my mate and I will never leave you.” Hiccup slapped the arms away as he explained. 

“But you might not even be able to go home.” Jack wrapped his arms around Hiccup with a wail and he rolled his eyes at the blond. 

“But I don’t want to stay home. It would hurt me if I was away from you for too long of a time.” They both jumped when the shout came again and Jack jerked away. 

“Right. Dinner.” The blond grunted, before clambering out of the water. Hiccup jumped out after him, now that he had the ability to use his tail, it was easy to land back on the dock. Jack sat back for a second and then gasped. “Towel.” He threw a piece of cloth over Hiccups tail and started to dry it off. 

“Are you alright with the whole, um, mate thing?” He asked, suddenly scared on what the blond would do. Jack paused before answering, instead gazing at him with his clear blue eyes.

“May I have another kiss, my most perfect mate?” He spoke deeply and with such sincerity that Hiccup found himself leaning in without a second thought. The kiss was magical and made him feel as if his heart was flying away on a breeze. When he opened his eyes, he could see a strange light coming from both of their chests. His was a deep green while Jacks was a cold blue and they mingled into a growing light that slowly dimmed. When they separated, his was tinged blue, and Jack’s had several green swirls in his before they vanished. 

“Wow” Jack whispered, his head falling to press against Hiccups forehead. 

“Yeah” Hiccup hissed, his legs growing back causing pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment. Toothless will be in the next chapter.


	5. The Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter to round everything off.

Hiccup swam in slow circles, enjoying the feeling of water pass over the scales on his tail. They were sensitive but it felt like the little feathers Jack had shown him were being drawn down his tail. He giggled at it before flipping over a few times and surfaced. Jack was sitting on the dock with his legs kicked up on one of the posts. The blond was watching him swim around with a tired look on his face. 

“Are you alright?” Hiccup caught the deck as he drifted by and pulled himself out. 

“Yeah, I just didn’t sleep very well last night.” Jack yawned before grabbing his hand. “I just had some strange dreams.” 

“Like what?” Hiccup shivered as his tails that turned into legs. It no longer hurt but he still wasn’t used to the feeling. 

“Um, I’m not so sure I remember.” He frowned before taking a deep breath. “There was a strange man, but he was a merperson with this massive beard and sword that was shouting at me.” 

“Was is reddish?” Hiccup blinked as Jack stared at him. “Sorry, was that weird?” 

“Yeah, on both.” Jack stifled a yawn even though he looked like he was about to freak out. 

“Sounds like…” Hiccup stopped when something slammed into the dock. He leaned over to peer over the edge. He sat up in surprise, not believing that he saw what he thought he saw. 

“What was that?” Jack jumped to his feet, his exhaustion gone. The answer came as a fin slid past and under the dock. A thump followed a second later. The fin reappeared on the other side. 

“Dang” Jack wheezed, “That’s one loyal friend.” 

“Toothless” Hiccup rolled over until he fell into the water. His tail came back in a wave of scales before the shark slammed into him. “I’m fine! I’m fine!” He yelped as the shark moved him around to the deepest part of the river, nudging around so he could get a full view of Hiccup. Toothless circled around him a few more times before he was satisfied that Hiccup was fine. Hiccup managed to free himself from the pushy shark and swam for the surface. 

“Is he alright?” Jack called, looking weary to get in the water. “How did he find you?” 

“He’s a shark” Hiccup snapped, growing frustrated. Jack shot him a shocked glance but he couldn’t see the shark in question trying to shove Hiccup downstream. The black shark gave a particularly hard push, causing water to splash up and over his head. 

“Hiccup!” Jack shouted and dove in after him. Toothless backed off for the second it took for Jack to swim to him, but he resumed circling around them and moving them down stream. 

“Toothless!” Hiccup tried to fight him off but it didn’t help. “Stop.” 

“Hiccup, he isn’t listening” Jack held onto his arm so they wouldn’t be separated.

“I know.” Hiccup shoved the shark away and ducked under the water. He pressed his hands against his friends and stared at the others eyes. 

“What are you doing?” Jack’s voice sounded strange from above the water and Hiccup had a moment to think about it before the shark turned. Hiccup watched as he swam downstream and vanished with a flick of his tail. 

“Huh.” Hiccup vaguely knew that his friend was going to get his father. He slowly surfaced and stared after the black shark. 

“What is he doing?” Jack groaned, holding his side where Toothless had smacked him against a rock. 

“Going to bring someone here.” He shot a look at the blond before turning back to the river. With a huff, he grabbed Jack’s arm and started back up the river. Jack stiffened for a second. 

“Who? Are they going to take you?” he relaxed and started to swim forward with Hiccup. 

“No, that whole light thing can make him listen.” Hiccup smiled and a wave of relief swept over him. “Is that why you didn’t sleep?”

“How…?” Jack blinked as a giggled escaped, “That’s not funny! Stop sending your glee through the strange light connection. I’m trying to not freak out.”

“Probably my father, who is the chief, is coming to see what happened and talk to you.” Hiccup laughed as Jack smiled weakly. 

“You’re evil.” Jack grabbed the dock and closed his eyes. “And you don’t have to think that is so funny.” 

“Oh man, a guy who loves fun is telling me not to be funny.” Hiccup swam around the blond while he poked him. Jack turned and kissed his cheek before pulling himself out of the water. 

“I’m just nervous. You met my family.” Jack laid on the dock, absently running his fingers through Hiccups wet hair. 

“Well, my father is a little nuts but if you stay calm and not make any sudden moves, then you should be fine.” Hiccup focused on his emotions, making sure that his sudden burst of fear didn’t travel though their bond. 

“It’ll be fine. We’ll just leave out the part that you were kidnapped.” Jake muttered to himself. Hiccup hid his flinch but he felt a wave of comfort travel to him followed by terror. 

“What is this about being kidnapped?” A deep voice sounded behind him and he spun around. His father was there, with a furious look on his face and a sword raised slightly in ready. 

“Wait. I’m not hurt, anymore. It’s not like putting me in that harbor helped the healing process but….” Hiccup snapped his mouth shut at his fathers glare. 

“This isn’t time for your sarcasm Hiccup.” Jack hissed out of the side of his mouth. 

“I agree, yet I still don’t have a reason not to…” Stoic raised his sword and swam forward before Hiccup interrupted him. 

“No you won’t” He snapped, “and for once you will listen to me.” Stoic glowered at him and Hiccup felt Jack shift closer. 

“I’m listening.” His father looked down at him and he felt his mouth dry up. 

“Is this about the light thing?” Jack whispered loudly in his ear but it ended in a squeak as Stoic’s attention snapped to him. 

“Light? From your chests?” Hiccup nodded, never before facing the strange look on his father’s face. Stoic took a deep breath before visibility deflating. “Are you kidding me?” 

“No” Hiccup gasped as his hand was grabbed and he was dragged under water. 

“Do you know what this means?” Stoic gestured to him and Jack wildly, “Do you know what can happen? The danger in all of this?”

“Oh, like being caught in a tsunami cause I was stuck in a harbor. Or is it dangerous as being kidnapped by a madman that is now imprisoned, and rescued by Jack. Or is it as dangerous as being close to someone who doesn’t see me as just your son.” Hiccup pratted off, angered by his father instantly chastising him after he was missing for so long and most likely presumed dead. 

“I didn’t…” Stoic started, his eyes wide at Hiccups sudden change. 

“Don’t get me started on the fact that the only person that seems to have missed me so far is a shark that is my best friend, which is sad in itself.” He took in a breath of water and let it flow through his gills before he continued. 

“Enough. I need to know that you are safe.” Stoic boomed but Hiccup was too fat gone. 

“Why does it matter now? It’s never really mattered to you before! Just throw him into the nearest room that’s completely closed to anyone in the tribe so they don’t see how much of a disappointment he is. Only take him on a brother-ship trip to other tribes when they specifically mention it.” A loud splash broke his fury. Spinning around he saw Jack’s head under water, his cheeks bulging with air as he tried to figure out what they were doing. Hiccup burst out in laughter, clutching his stomach and started floating downstream as he was unable to swim.

“He is a strange one.” His father murmured under his breath. Hiccup tried to swim back up to him but a hand grabbed his tail and pulled him back down. 

“Dad!” Hiccup protested, trying to jerk his tail away. He glanced to see a shocked look on Jacks face, while his father held up a finger, telling him to wait another minute. He pulled his tail away with a jerk. 

“Now don’t get me wrong, I was very worried and did think you were dead but I never stopped looking. However, I now know you are alive and am worried for you and your…. Friend.” His fathers eye twitched slightly as they landed on Jack, who was starting to wobble a little from lack of air. Hiccup motioned for him to go back before he turned back to his father. 

“So?” He frowned, hating when they had their talks where Hiccup listened and Stoic talked, expecting to find him to be completely changed by the end of the conversation.

“Thank the Gods you are alright.” Hiccup squawked as he was pulled into an awkward embrace by his father. 

“Thanks Dad.” Hiccup wheezed before he shoved himself away. “I know you were worried, but I’m fine.”

“But how? I need to know everything that has happened and I need to know now.” He swam to the dock again and Hiccup followed in a dazed manner. 

“Is everything alright?” Jack question was directed more at Hiccup then his father. 

“You are going to tell me everything that has happened since the tsunami.” His father growled at the blond. 

“Uhh.” Jack stuttered slightly before he spilled the entire story out. Hiccup cringed almost every time Pitch was mentioned and his father growled in anger. When it was all finished, including the meal the night before and that morning of lazing about and playing on a jumping thing called a trampoline. 

“Hmn” Stoic studied Jack for a second before a loud thudding came from the opposite end of the dock. They all turned to see North walking calmly down with a controlled look. 

“What has my young charge done now?” North stopped next to them. Stoic didn’t blink at the fact that North was completely at ease with them being Merfolk, while North seemed more amused then anything at finding Stoic at his dock. 

“I do believe we can discuss it.” Stoic pulled himself onto the dock in one smooth motion and in seconds his tail turned to legs. North rolled his eyes before he pulled off his massive cloak and tossed it to the Chief. 

“We have ladies over and you will need to be a gentleman or they will not be pleased.” The large men walked off side by side, looking like they were both about to fall off the edge of the small dock. 

“Do they know each other?” Jack murmured softly as Hiccup sat next to him, dragging his tail behind him. 

“I have no idea, and I don’t think we will ever know” He focused, wondering if he could make the change happen faster if he did but nothing happened. 

“What is going to happen now?” Jack wrapped his arms around Hiccup as he watched the two men vanish into the cabin. 

“He doesn’t seem mad at us, though mad is his usual state of mind. I think we are in the clear. I don’t want to leave and he understands this.” Hiccup concentrated until his tail became legs once again. He smiled in delight but when he looked up he could see Jack’s face turning red. “What is it?” 

“Nothing” Jack cleared his throat and covered up part of Hiccups thighs, his blush growing deeper at Hiccups confusion.

“You will have to tell me eventually.” Hiccup grinned, trying to get the blond to spill but he just shook his head. 

“Later, much later.” Jack swallowed a few more times before he got to his feet. “Ready to face this?” 

“Absolutely” Hiccup jumped up, practically giddy at the thought of facing their worlds together. He grabbed the others hand a small trickle of light burst from their chests. The green and blue twined around them before it shot into the sky, eventually disappearing into the soft blue that was spliced by the green of the trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end. Please comment.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment! I want to know what you all think. XP


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